From the Atacama Desert to the shores of Jamaica, luxury adventure travel company Black Tomato has launched a new series of James Bond-inspired travel assignments. Jenny Southan reports
A year or so after debuting its first James Bond-themed itineraries in partnership with Eon Productions, a new iteration of Black Tomato x 007 takes Bond-style “set-jetting” global with new travel experiences across 13 new destinations.
Black Tomato was the company to originally coin the term “set-jetting”, and says it now receives enquiries every week from travellers seeking to plan a trip specifically inspired by locations they’ve seen in movies and TV shows. In fact, set jetting accounts for about 10 per cent of its client enquiries at the moment.
Taking travellers beyond the classic European hotspots of Italy, France and London, Black Tomato’s new 007 missions take clients to 13 additional destinations including Morocco, India, Thailand, Turkey and Iceland.
Assignments are inspired by locations, iconic scenes and memorable opening sequences that appear in movies from the franchise, which spans 60 years.
With help from Eon’s team of producers, location scouts and archivists, the 007 experiences can be booked as part of a wider Black Tomato itinerary or can be knitted together across multiple countries and destinations.
With high-octane adventure, unique access, and exciting modes of transport resonating most with clients so far, these elements “remain central” to these exclusive new experiences, says Black Tomato.
With this new expansion, travellers can now visit many more locations they’ve seen in the 007 films but also piece together an itinerary following an entire film. For example: Mexico City, London, Italy, Solden in Austria and Morocco, all of which were used in Spectre (2015).
Tom Marchant, co-founder of Black Tomato, says: “With the global set-jetting trend at its peak and acting on this growing desire for Bond trips beyond Europe, now feels apt to expand our library of extraordinary 007 inspired journeys.”
For all trips, clients will receive original call sheets, and bespoke documents including exclusive insight into the locations provided by the film producers. All trips will also include a free, exclusively commissioned Dr. No (1962) inspired attaché case by Globe-Trotter, the official luggage brand of 007.
Black Tomato x 007 experiences (new for 2024)
MOROCCO
The secret lairs of the Sahara
Sahara Desert, Morocco
Sensorial and seductive in equal measure, it’s no surprise that 007’s escapades have twice led him to Morocco: in The Living Daylights (1987) and Spectre. And now, it’s your turn. Picked up by a private helicopter in Marrakech, you’ll fly to Errachidia and onto Erfoud, where a vintage Rolls Royce will await your command. Destined for the same co-ordinates uncovered by Bond and Madeleine Swann inside the hidden room at L’Américain in Spectre, you’ll speed across the sands of the Sahara towards Gara Medouar crater – the filming location of Blofeld’s desert lair. Here, at the hideout of one of Bond’s most notorious adversaries, you’ll indulge in a sumptuous Bollinger-infused picnic.
CHILE
Action in the Atacama
The Atacama Desert, Chile
Carved by wind and water, the Martian landscapes of Chile’s Atacama Desert are the driest on earth. Standing solitary in its vastness, Paranal Observatory – posing as Hotel Perla de las Dunas – was the perfect hideout for villains Greene and General Medrano in Quantum Of Solace (2008).
En route south from Antofagasta, you’ll pass Michilla, the setting of Bond and Greene’s final confrontation, and the Port of Cobija, where Bond and Camille walk battered and bruised through the ruins, before you arrive at Paranal. There, you’ll explore the site with a private guide who’ll share the workings of this far-sighted observatory. That night, you’ll sleep beneath the stars at your own private desert camp.
ICELAND
Bond’s feats in frozen lands
Jökulsárlón and Svínafellsjökull, Iceland
By snowboard, snowmobile, and helicopter (not forgetting two Aston Martins with rocket launchers), the untamed icescapes of southeast Iceland have been twice traversed by Bond – and in quintessential secret-agent style. Evoking 007’s action-packed escape from billionaire Gustav Graves’ ice palace in Die Another Day (2002), you’ll zipline over jagged blue glaciers and climb the towering frozen walls of Svínafellsjökull – an outlet of the largest ice cap in Europe. We’ll also arrange for you to slalom between floating icebergs on Jökulsárlón lagoon – like those pictured in the opening shot of A View To A Kill (1985) – on a thrilling Zodiac boat journey towards a remote island. There, you’ll sip Bollinger and refuel with a three-course gourmet picnic.
INDIA
Undercover in Udaipur
Udaipur, India
In Octopussy (1983), 007 first encounters the film’s eponymous jewel-smuggler at her floating palace in Udaipur, while entourage lounge beside the courtyard lily pond. This luxurious abode – the Taj Lake Palace – is where you’ll stay to trace Bond’s Indian mission. On a fast-paced rickshaw ride, you’ll follow the route of his spectacular escape from villain Kamal Khan, before taking in city views from the Monsoon Palace (used as Khan’s residence). We’ll also reserve the same poolside table shared by Bond and Khan’s henchwoman, Magda, at Shiv Niwas Palace – where you’ll meet a local resident who worked in the Octopussy crew, who’ll regale you with tales from the days of its filming.
JAPAN
The secret sights and sites of Japan
Tokyo and Nagasaki
A three-time 007 location, Japan – with its history of intrigue, technology, and ninjas – is a fitting location for an undercover operative. You’ll have a range of activities at your fingertips, like honing your ninja skills in the gardens of Himeji Castle, portrayed in You Only Live Twice (1967) – donning authentic gear and studying distinctive ninja weapons. You can also join a private guide to explore the city’s iconic filming locations, including Nakano-Shimbashi station (which made an appearance as a secret service base) and Kumano-Nachi Taisha, where 007 got married undercover. Beyond Tokyo, you can travel to the eerie, industrial island of Gunkanjima, embarking on a boat ride around Raoul Silva’s abandoned island lair – as depicted in Skyfall (2012).
MEXICO
On assignment in Mexico City
Mexico City, Mexico
Mexico is magnetic. And it has kept 007 coming back since it first appeared in A License To Kill (1989). But it’s the scenes of Spectre that’ll take centre stage as you travel by chauffeured Aston Martin – should you wish, accompanied by EON Productions’ location scout Ali James, who worked on the film’s iconic opening. From the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the background to the vibrant Day of the Dead parade Bond joins, to the Zócalo, where Sciarra’s helicopter lands as he seeks to escape with Bond in pursuit – Ali will bring these iconic scenes to life. To really get in on the action, visit during Day of the Dead and experience for yourself the intoxicating procession – made a permanent part of the festivities since featuring in Spectre.
THAILAND
Step inside Bond’s Bangkok
Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand
Between busy, beeping cities and secluded jungle isles, Thailand has all the compelling contrast needed to set the scene of a 007 film. Bangkok appears most memorably in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) as a stand-in for Ho Chi Minh City during Bond and Wai Lin’s motorbike chase – but also in The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), where Bond and Scaramanga first meet at a Thai boxing night. Inspired by this fateful moment, you’ll take a private Muay Thai boxing masterclass, before spending an evening ringside at Rajadamnern Stadium. Like Bond, you’ll then head south to Phuket to charter your private yacht towards Phang Nga Bay – where Scaramanga famously disappears during his pistol duel with 007 on Khao Phing Kan. Known as “James Bond Island”, this location also posed as Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).
TURKEY
Bond and the Bosphorus
Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul – spanning both continents and civilizations – has been a 007 “regular” since the early 1960s. You’ll imbibe all the exotic charm that Bond discovered in this ornate city; visiting renowned filming locations of From Russia With Love (1963), passing by the Küçüksu Palace (Elektra’s Baku mansion in The World Is Not Enough, 1999), and taking a private yacht along the Bosphorus toward Maiden’s Tower, where M was held captive by Elektra. As the sun begins to sink (always a sumptuous sight in this historic city), you’ll take it all in by climbing to exclusive panoramic rooftops that featured in a most memorable chase scene in Skyfall. A Vesper martini and the “golden hour” will be yours.
JAMAICA
From Ian Fleming’s beachside base
Oracabessa and Mammee Bay, Jamaica
It was at Goldeneye – his home on Jamaica’s paradisical northern coast – that Ian Fleming wrote all 12 of his James Bond novels. It’s only fitting that you’ll stay here; sailing out in your yacht to visit Sans Souci, where Bond resides in Live And Let Die (1973), and the Moon Palace Resort – with an original 007-stamped helipad – where the cast and crew based themselves to film Dr. No (1962). Channelling Bond in No Time To Die (2021), you’ll cast a line at Reynolds Pier, which itself starred as Dr No’s secret lair, to catch a matching brace of red snapper.
Finally, on Laughing Waters beach – where Honey Ryder steps ashore in Dr. No – you’ll enjoy a lavish lobster picnic, a nod to the glamorous gatherings Ian Fleming used to host. We’ll also take you to Port Antonio – a much featured backdrop in No Time To Die (2021) – to try the famous jerk chicken at Piggy’s, a favorite of the cast and crew.
SCOTLAND
Back to Bond’s roots
The Scottish Highlands
Ian Fleming was so taken with Scot Sean Connery’s portrayal of Bond in Dr. No that he subsequently gave his character Scottish heritage. Ever since, the tales and triumphs of 007 have been inextricably linked with Scotland’s rugged isles. Kicking off your adventure, you’ll arrive by boat to Eilean Donan Castle, which serves as Thane Castle – the Scottish MI6 base in The World Is Not Enough. Depart by Aston Martin for a scenic drive to the shores of Loch Laggan – as featured in No Time To Die (2021) – for a Bollinger picnic lunch, before continuing to the wild valleys of the Cairngorms. Last, but not least, a helicopter flight up to the Macallan Estate for a private tasting of their finest whiskies – including the 1962 sipped by Raoul Silva in Skyfall.
NORWAY
Stunts and scenes in Norway
Trollstigen, Norway
A land of untamed wilderness and dramatic fjords, Norway lends itself to adrenaline-pumping escapades of the 007 kind. In No Time To Die (2021), villain Safin chases a young Madeleine Swann across a frozen lake, filmed at Langvann, and Bond himself speeds along the country’s outrageously scenic Atlantifc Road in a nail-biting car chase with double-agent Logan Ash. You, too, will drive this iconic winding pass en route to a heart-pounding bungee jump down a hydropower dam – reminiscent of Bond’s own bungee in the opening scene of GoldenEye (1995), which was actually filmed in Switzerland. You’ll have well and truly earned secret-agent status by the end.